We Tried It

Because teeth whitening treatments usually involve a lot of time and money (for sometimes less-than-stellar results), we took four products for a spin to see if they actually lived up to the hype. Read on for our editors’ take on oil pulling, whitening gel, toothpaste and more.

What Is It: The newest lip products that claim to last longer, look brighter and go on smoother

Why I Did It: As a lipstick addict, I’m always willing to trick out my pout with new sticks, glosses and lacquers. And with the new spring shades boasting to be better (and more innovative) than fall’s collections, I knew I had to put them to the test

Level of Difficulty: 1 (I could apply lipstick in my sleep, but picking out the right shade is a little more difficult!)

Why she did it: I’m not sure what it is about the warmer months that moves me to do strange things to my hair, but I just can’t help it. Two summers ago — in a woefully unsuccessful attempt to emulate Rihanna — I got an undercut, but this year, I wanted to freshen up my look with some funky color. Blues, reds, pinks and purples were calling out to me, just as they have been for a growing number of stars (Hilary Duff, Kaley Cuoco, Julianne Hough and more) who’ve dyed their hair bold colors for funsies or Coachella or for the Instagram photo op

Level of difficulty: 4/10 (or 3/10 if you have a friend on-hand to help apply to the back of your head)

Why I did it: For some time, I’ve thought about trying to turn a special handwritten note into a piece of jewelry, but didn’t know a jeweler who could do it or where I’d even find him or her. Leave it to the Long Island Medium to practically read my mind on this one, right?

Level of difficulty: 0 (You take a photo, send it in, pay for the piece and it arrives in the mail within a couple weeks. The only difficult decisions are what size to order your charm and chain, and sterling silver vs. gold overlay)

What is it: A LightStim anti-aging facial, which uses LED lights to make your skin look like this

Why I did it: I’d already done LED skin treatments on the cheap, and because I ascribe to the “Treat Yo Self” school of thought, I wanted to try the fancy version. I’m obsessed with pretty much everything Kate Somerville does (these are genius), except for the fact that she only has one location, so when I booked a last-minute trip to L.A., this was top of my to-do list

Level of difficulty: 0 (as with many high-end treatments, the only painful part is getting the bill at the end)